OSHA & TRMA Honor Contractor Safety

Independent contractors and plant personnel working at TRMA companies in 2010 were honored at the TRMA annual meeting held April 20, 2011 at the Holiday Inn in Joliet for their amazing job site safety record.

"We are very pleased to report that TRMA contractors worked almost six million hours in 2010 and recorded an OSHA incidence rate of 0.5," said TRMA chairman Jim Cristman. That compares with OSHA recorded incidences of 4.3 for manufacturing, 2.3 for chemical manufacturing, 5.1 for specialty trades and 0.5 U.S. petroleum refineries.

Some of the credit goes to the Three Rivers Safety Center, which has trained more than 160,000 contractor employees in its 18-year history. All employees of independent contractors working at TRMA member plants must complete safety training before being allowed on-site. But all the training in the world cannot compensate for the culture of zero-injury worker safety that exists in companies doing work for TRMA members, Cristman stressed.

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2010 Annual Report: the Reshaping of TRMA

One of the primary accomplishments of TRMA in 2010 was to determine what the association needs to do to continue to be of value to the members, said TRMA chairman Jim Cristman in his report at the annual meeting held April 20, 2011, at the Holiday Inn in Joliet.

Three themes emerged from a series of focus groups involving 50 employees from two dozen TRMA companies, Cristman said: expand training programs and raise the bar for the basic orientation training for independent contractors doing work at TRMA member plants by toughening the standards; a more aggressive and regional government affairs agenda, forging alliances with groups having similar aims; and more opportunities for members to network and share information.

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Kinzinger Rails Against Government Overregulation

Freshman Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-11th), the keynote speaker at TRMA's annual meeting held April 20, 2011, charged that government regulations are the biggest obstacle to job creation and full economic recovery.

"Government does not—cannot—create jobs, but it can create an environment to create jobs," he said. And Congress is busy holding hearings to find out what the government is doing to stand in the way. "It's a bipartisan thing," said Kinzinger. "There are plenty of Democrats who share our concerns."

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"Roadmap to Education Reform for Manufacturing"

The Roadmap to Education Reform for Manufacturing, published by the Manufacturing Institute, lays out six principles for innovative reform, including moving to competency-based education; establishing and expanding industry-education partnerships; infusing technology in education; creating excitement for manufacturing careers; applying manufacturing principles like "lean" to reduce education costs; and, expanding successful youth development programs.

Manufacturers in the United States have a talent problem. Just as manufacturing grows more complex and innovation drives the industry, companies can no longer find workers with the skills today's jobs demand. This deficit in talent available to manufacturers poses a direct threat to the future prosperity and security of the United States.

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Golf Outing

Reservations are now being accepted for the TRMA Annual Golf Outing to be held Monday, June 6, 2011, at the Morris Country Club. The cost per player is $180 for TRMA members which include green fees, cart, use of the driving range, lunch, steak dinner, beverages, and prizes for everyone, and a great time. Click here to view the invitation and make reservations.

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